which optical drive is compatible with a 2019 macbook pro 16"?

I suspect the hubs you're trying are the issue. I use a simple USB-C to -A adapter costing $8 on Amazon. Running macOS 10.15.7 on a 2019 16" MBP Core i9. Here's the setup:

And you can see the optical disc mounted on the desktop (along with the MPB specifics):

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Answer 4

iteration3 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 24, 2020 12:34 PM in response to iteration3

I tried the superdrive with the satechi adaptor bought at Apple ($65!) as well as dodowin hub - both did not work with the superdrive or the ASUS dvd/rw. When I plugged in the superdrive, I got a message on screen to the effect that there was not enough power. Would you mind sharing which OS version you're running and your processor?

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Answer 5

iteration3 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 25, 2020 12:37 PM in response to neuroanatomist

Hi there.

Got the same adapter as you and set up similar to your pics. Nope. Not even a pop-up telling me to plug into USB for power. I've got 2.6 GHz 6-Core Intel Core i7 and 16 GB 2667 MHz DDR4. I think maybe I will have to find a drive that plugs into an electrical outlet, if they still make such things, lol.

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Answer 6

Nov 25, 2020 12:53 PM in response to iteration3

Very odd. I can’t imagine that our Macs have different TB3 ports or power wiring. FWIW (not much!), I actually have two 16” MBPs (both i9), and the drive works fine with both. Just tried it with the MBP running on battery, that works too. One more thing I want to try, stay tuned.

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Answer 7

Nov 25, 2020 1:57 PM in response to neuroanatomist

Ok, so I just tried the drive on the other Mac notebooks in the house – a 2017 15” MBPro, a 2020 13” 4-TB3 MBPro, and a pair of 2019 MBAirs. It works on all of them.

That leads me to suspect the drive. When did you purchase yours? I recall reading a post from another senior member here that there have been stealth updates to the SuperDrive. Mine is recent, bought this past June. If yours is older, perhaps that is the explanation.

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Answer 8

iteration3 Author

Level 1

9 points

Nov 25, 2020 2:08 PM in response to neuroanatomist

I purchased the laptop and the drive in December of 2019 and never had cause to use it till now. Funnily enough it works on my old late 2008 mbp with a non-functioning built-in optical drive. I've also since found a few other forums that state that the super drive will not work with my current macbook pro. What irks me the most is I suspect no external cd/dvd drives will work with my current versions of s/w and hardware. So disappointing. Hopefully/maybe with future Catalina updates. At least the separate mouse, keyboard, and additional monitor are functioning. Thanks again for your help.

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Answer 9

Dec 1, 2020 3:44 PM in response to iteration3

iteration3 wrote:

Apple support were the ones that sent me the link with the superdrive compatibility list and mine is not on it.

Yes, but that doesn’t explain how the one I have works fine on four different models of Mac notebooks in my house, none of which are on that list.

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Answer 10

iteration3 Author

Level 1

9 points

Dec 1, 2020 4:00 PM in response to neuroanatomist

I know what you're saying. I have no explanation. I changed the adaptors, I changed the drive (superdrive and then ASUS), I am at a loss for what to try next. You did mention that you got your drive in June and I got mine last December. If I can get my hands on a newer version of superdrive, I will try it again.

(And I haven't been able to find anything online about Remote Disk and Catalina)

Maybe in a future OS X release....

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